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How I Utilized
Quinnipiac University’s Library

Back in elementary school, we were given lessons on the library card catalog. We were taught how to utilize this wooden piece of furniture and how by using this we would be able to locate books and periodicals.   Since then, I have been “Googling” for information for years; pouring over books at Barnes & Noble, buying some books online at Amazon.com and have been checking out books at a local library – but, all for pleasure. Now, with an impending project due I needed to expand my resources and use the library databases.  

So, last Monday, I made my way over to the Arnold Bernhard Library at Quinnipiac University and sat down at one of the fourteen rotunda area computers. The computer screen in front of me featured over nine databases containing information from liberal arts to health and science. That is when my experience with current library technology began. This blog will discuss how periodicals were searched, periodical articles were acquired, how printing was done and how all of these relate to the reading, “Don’t make me think!” by S. Krug. 

When I began my search for periodical articles, I clicked all periodical holdings. From this location there was a search bar at the top of my screen. However, you must type in the name of the journal. Keywords to open periodicals are not available. Not knowing what journal my article was in, I found this confusing. The article, “Don’t make me think!” states that you should find your search in two clicks; in most cases each library search totaled over four. Titles that were self-evident did not produce user friendly results without querying down further with specifics.  From a usability standpoint, the results of a search can be staggering. However, to have the right “key” to get the right search was tricky and confusing. 

Through various logins, I made my way to ProQuest and finally I was overloaded with lots of articles containing the information which I needed.  No longer did I have to go up to the reference desk, have them search for the hard copies of periodicals and only come back with three because the rest of the journals were being used. The search process time was drastically cut in half.  

The articles that were pulled in ProQuest had an abstract short summary at the top with the full text below. The top part of the page contained the name of the article, author(s), publication title and date, word count and more. Everything I needed was on one organized page! The abstract allowed me to read a quick summary of the article which helped me determine if it was worthy of saving. Each article had an option allowing users to email articles to themselves or send them to print. From S. Krug’s point of view, this format allowed clear, direct instruction as to next steps. Its usability was evident. 

Since I was in the library and not offsite, I took advantage of the print feature with the various articles. When I hit print, I came across a login screen. Since I did not know my log in, I went up to the front desk and I was told further instructions. Back at the computer I hit print for each of my twenty-four articles. When I made my way to the printer, I thought, please don’t let someone take my articles. When I got there nothing was printed. I went back to the information desk and was told that you need to swipe your ID which contains some money allocated to print. I went back and a few minutes later articles were printed at once. This is a great system but there was not a sign in the print area letting me know what to do. I did have to think about how to make this system work, but after initial instructions this printing process proved more paper efficient and time saving. 

In conclusion, the usability of a library setting has opened up a wealth of opportunities to utilize more resources than ever before.  The organization of the databases at the Quinnipiac
University library portal is a bit confusing because of the search criteria. This is an area where it could improve with a cleaner, clearer visual hierarchy. Questions about logins should be posted right next to the computer on a short 3 x 5 card or directly under the login information on the screen. When there is a line of people at the information desk, common questions can be very frustrating and confusing. However, the end results of searching have produced a more inclusive search with efficient retrieval.

References

Arnold Bernhard Library Resources. Retrieved October 22, 2006 from http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x6353.xml.

Battleson, B., Booth, A., & Weintrop, J. (2001). Usability testing of an academic library web site: a case study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 27(3), 188-198.

Center for Chinese Studies Library. Retrieved October 22, 2006 from http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/CCSL/catalogs.html.

How to find articles. Retrieved October 22, 2006 from http://www.library.yale.edu/instruction/journals/pages/stepfourcard.html.

Krug, S. (2000). Don’t make me think. Indianapolis: New Riders, pp. 1-39.